Bio 2EE3
Introduction to Microbiology and Biotechnology
Published by Fight0
06-30-2009
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Elite Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 689
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Author review |
Overall Rating | | 8 |
Professor Rating | | 6 |
Interest | | 8 |
Easiness | | 9 |
Average 78%
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Bio 2EE3
This course wasn't as bad as some make it out to be. There were two lectures every week and a lab every other week so course work was minimal. Lectures were generally okay, the prof would just talk and show slide pictures and as long as you took down stuff that seemed important you'd be fine. The course moved at a pretty brisk pace as the prof usually covered a chapter every lecture (about 30 pages of the text. This is one course where I would say reading the textbook is mandatory. He pulls lots of obscure facts from the text for the midterm and the exam but if you bother to actually read, the questions were really easy.
The average on the first midterm was fairly low at first but he was very generous in adjusting marks. Labs were very, very easy and it's quite possible to expect high 90's in your lab marks if you put the effort in. The exam was easy and very straightforward with a mix of MC and SA questions.
It's easy to get a really high mark in the class if you're able to discipline yourself and take a couple days before the midterm and the exam to study.
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06-30-2009 at 09:25 PM
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#2
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Hmmm, we have a 3 hours of lectures this year...
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Jeremy Han
McMaster Alumni - Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics
Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University Third Year - Doctor of Optometry
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07-01-2009 at 05:03 PM
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#3
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That might be good, he may go slower.
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12-23-2009 at 01:27 PM
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#4
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Biology 2EE3: Introduction to Microbiology and Biotechnology 2009 Winter Term
The winter term only had evening classes, scheduled for 3 hours but was only 2 hours give or take 15 minutes on certain days.
Grading Scheme:
Lab 1, 2, 5: 9% (3% each)
Formal Lab 3: 8%
Assignment Lab 4: 4%
Lab Notebook & Participation: 4%
Midterm: 25%
Exam: 50%
Professor: Dr. JP Xu
My Thoughts on the Course:
Dr. Xu had a fairly thick accent. It was really hard to understand him in the beginning and throughout the term there were some words he said that I just couldn't understand. He likes to drift off subject and talk about himself, his research and how he makes beer.
The course content itself was pretty interesting to me, I didn't really learn anything in class but reading the book was easy and interesting. You learn about all different types of microbes; where they live, their components and different energy sources. You also learn about gene transfer, transcription and translation. Lastly you learn about the applied microbiology such as biotechnology, food and industrial microbiology and medical microbiology.
The labs were decent, there was a lot of techniques you learned in Bio 1A03 that were put into practice as well as learning a couple new techniques. Most of the labs were like those of Bio 1A03 so if you enjoyed those then you will enjoy these for sure. Although my lab TA had a fairly thick accent it wasn't that hard to do the labs since all the instructions are given to you. It is important to remember to follow up on your labs, write all your results and a short discussion just like in 1A03. It counts towards your 4% lab notebook and participation.
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Jeremy Han
McMaster Alumni - Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics
Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University Third Year - Doctor of Optometry
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12-27-2009 at 12:51 AM
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#5
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Original "G"
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I also had this course the same time as the previous review (fall 2009)..i think the basics of the course were covered well by the previous jhan523..
Some tips/notes about the class...if you are someone who learns best by going to class and listening to the prof drone on during lecture, well this class may not be the best choice for you (as long as Dr. Xu is teaching it)...i found the lectures completely useless, other than a few (a handful of these) random not in the textbook testable points/ irrelevant life stories about the proff and how he looks/acts when he is drunk (thats right he posted a pic of him sloshed on one of his lecture slides) you will learn nothing in lecture...although i must say Dr. Xu can be funny at times, and hes a nice guy during his office hour
the TEXTBOOK will SAVE YOUR LIFE in this course...anything and everything Bio 2EE3 is the textbook, buy it at all costs, you will go through this 1400pg monster cover to cover(yeah the exam is the book)...read and love your book, i recommend note-taking of the book...DO NOT do what I did and fall behind the readings and cram before the midterm or exam, you will crash, its far to much to cram for...but if you understand the book you will do just fine, the midterm m/c questions are directly off of the previous years tests/practice m/c that they post...short answer is a little tricky as they ask for minute details.
if you have Allison Cowie as your instructional assistant, look forward to minimal help from her part, shes not the greatest/most helpful IA ever...i have stories if you wanna hear them PM me...
other than that, if you keep up with readings (WHICH IS KEY BEYOND all) you can do well in the course..this course gives you a great taste of various disciplines in biology aswell
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Arjun Bharath
Honours Biology and Pharmacology CO-OP
McMaster Science Society Executive
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12-27-2009 at 01:54 PM
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#6
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I forgot to do the course review thing...
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Jeremy Han
McMaster Alumni - Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics
Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University Third Year - Doctor of Optometry
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04-25-2010 at 03:00 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
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I actually really liked Dr.Xu He was funny and even help an exam review at the end of the course (some ppl complained that it was 3 days before the exam but at least he HAD a review session, i didn't have one in any of my other classes)
During the review session, he even pointed out stuff that was on the final and went through one concept like 3 times (which ended up to be a short answer question on the final)
I would say.. attending lectures is optional.. and studying from slides is impossible. If you attend lecture, you can minimize a little bit of textbook reading cuz a lot of his slides has just one diagram and he spends time going through them (which requires you to take notes) but if you miss anything, go to the textbook.
As the previous review suggested, make your own notes from the text. It'll help a lot and DO NOT fall behind because there is A LOT to read. I repeat, DO NOT fall behind, read the corresponding chapters in the week that it was taught.
The midterm had mc, T/F and short answers
It was a pretty good midterm if you studied. It was one of those where...if you knew ur stuff, u can be out of there in 45 minutes and if you didnt, sitting there for the full 2 hours doesn't help you. Fair midterm/exam though
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08-26-2010
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caludujf
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This message has been removed by a moderator. .
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09-07-2010 at 07:26 AM
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#8
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This course requires way too much memorization. He requires you to know what's in the lecture notes, as well as the textbook. However, if you are in programs that requires knowledge in microbiology, such as biochemistry and biology, you definitely need this course. But if you have a lot of time to memorize every little detail, or you are very efficient at memorizing details, it's not so bad.
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04-15-2011 at 11:54 PM
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#9
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lectures are dry but they are important because Dr Xu's powerpoints are not details- they are usually just a bunch of pictures on slides. He may ask you details on the test that are from what he talked about in lecture, so take good notes!!
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04-16-2011 at 08:06 PM
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#10
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Pretty bad course. Very boring lectures and you are tested on random details. Also the final exam is like 160 MC questions. You get tired and stop caring by 100. Wouldnt recommend unless you need it.
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08-27-2011 at 09:55 AM
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#11
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Does anyone have any previous midterms for this course?
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09-08-2011 at 04:03 PM
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#12
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Do we need to buy a book for this course?
and anyone want to sell their test?
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12-14-2011 at 04:54 PM
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#13
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i found it really difficult to understand him in lecture when he would go on his tangents & would miss a lot of information .. however the material itself was quite interesting & reading the textbook is a must ! most of the pictures from his power point are from the textbook and making notes from there was extremely helpful. the midterms & exam were A LOT of memorization and a lot of tiny details were required, if you have a good memory you're set for this class.
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12-17-2011 at 02:58 PM
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#14
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I wish I had attended class more and sat close to the front. I missed 3 classes near the end (and with each being 3 hours, that's a lot). His slides aren't helpful because they're mostly pictures and you don't know how much to get from the textbook. Those who took good notes could actually pick and choose info from the textbook that was necessary, whereas I ended up wasting a lot of time on reading stuff that he didn't focus on.
Reading/going over notes after class every week is important, the work piles up and it's hard to catch up. He mentioned that was the best way to study for the course. I think the textbook is a good resource, and it's hard to understand him so it helps.
Also, he does ask details on the MC and T/F, which can be from the lecture notes or the textbook, but the short answers were mostly from the his slides, or something he focused on.
You really need to understand the material, he tests that through the negative marking on the T/F and MC.
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